u/solo13508

Source: Darth Vader (2017) #6

The legendary Vader pettiness strikes back. How dare Palpy be messing around with other dark-siders 😤

Source: The Last Command

Hoping we get some Thrawn moments like this out of the Mandoverse. One thing established about him in the EU and further implemented in current canon is that he's a genuine teacher to those under him and wants them all to be just as effective as he is. He does punish incompetence but rarely resorts to immediate execution like good ol Darth Chokethroat Vader. Turns out threat of death at the slightest mistake may not actually be the greatest of motivators, lol.

Y'know I've been going back through Resistance season 1 and it's occurred to me: we really don't talk about this show enough. Even by animation standards I feel like this show often falls by the wayside in discussions when I feel like there's a lot of good stuff that came out of here to talk about.

Case in point: "The Platform Classic". Maybe the first episode of the show that I could say I definitively loved and for good reason. This is the episode that started turning Jarek Yeager into an A-tier character for me and my favorite character from this show.

For some light recap: The Colossus station is hosting the Platform Classic: a prestigious race where not only the local aces are taking part but also more renowned pilots from across the galaxy such as Marcus Speedstar: Yeager's long-lost brother. Yeager clearly has rather strong feelings about seeing his brother again and during the race he finally lets it all out: Marcus killed his family. Not intentionally, it was clearly an accident but Marcus got selfish during a race, cheated, and caused the tragedy. He has clearly grown and reflected in the decade since though and is finally racing for something besides himself. Seeing this, Yeager backs off and allows Marcus to take the victory.

Now here's the part of the episode I really love: Yeager still does not forgive Marcus. Not yet anyways. They've come to an understanding about each other but that doesn't mean the pain of what Marcus did just goes away. But this is the beginning of rebuilding that bridge between the two. To paraphrase Yeager "We're not good....but someday we will be."

This is genuinely one of the most nuanced portrayals of apology and forgiveness that I think I've seen in media. Far too many stories have the person who did something wrong apologize and be forgiven immediately and everything is fine again. Now this can happen of course but realistically I've found the path to forgiveness to often be something much more complex. If someone really did something terrible to you, it's going to take a lot more than a simple "I'm sorry" to make things right. Oftentimes those things only fade with time. Sometimes forgiveness is not even really so much about excusing what the other person did to you but something you do because it's just not healthy to hold on to those negative feelings forever.

Resistance nails this perfectly. Seeing that Marcus has indeed changed is the beginning of that healing process but it's not a one and done thing. It's the first stepping stone on the path. It's a good and significant step but it's still going to be a lengthy process for Yeager and Marcus to become the brothers they once were, if they even can fully be that again. Honestly it's a shame that Marcus never appears in the show after this because I think it would've been interesting to see how their journey of healing continues but on the other hand I suppose it can be nice to draw our own conclusions about where the two end up. Maybe someday we'll get a Yeager book that can dive into all this: out of all Resistance characters he certainly deserves one IMO.

Anyways I just wanted to highlight this show and episode as again I feel like this show does not even have half the recognition it deserves. Very curious to hear what you all think. My appreciation to those who read all this and may the Force be with you!

Source: Obi-Wan and Anakin #1

Just started rereading this mini and this scene in particular really jarred my interest now that we have Shadow Lord. One detail I really liked from Vader and Maul's duel in the show is that Vader often seems to be predicting Maul's moves and either striking or blocking before Maul himself has actually done anything. Of course foresight has always been a particular skill of Anakin's but with Maul in particular we can see that Anakin had actually been studying his particular fighting style for quite some time as we see in this comic. I'm not totally sure the show runners actually had this comic in mind when having Maul and Vader fight but it's certainly a detail that links up very well in hindsight.

Source: Obi-Wan and Anakin #1

Just started rereading this mini and this scene in particular really jarred my interest now that we have Shadow Lord. One detail I really liked from Vader and Maul's duel in the show is that Vader often seems to be predicting Maul's moves and either striking or blocking before Maul himself has actually done anything. Of course foresight has always been a particular skill of Anakin's but with Maul in particular we can see that Anakin had actually been studying and working to combat his particular fighting style for quite some time as we see in this comic. I'm not totally sure the show runners actually had this comic in mind when having Maul and Vader fight but it's certainly a detail that links up very well in hindsight.

Source: Rogue One - Saw Gererra #1

Obviously I'm being slightly sarcastic with the title, because wow this got dark. I've been really enjoying the Rogue One anniversary event so far and Saw's issue might be the best one yet. I felt it provided a deep and insightful look into his rather twisted psyche, some of which is shown here as we see the true depth of how far he'll go for the cause. It's no wonder Luthen Rael would eventually go on to seek him out seeing this, as clearly they both understand the cost of what they do. The key difference I would argue being that Luthen understands the monster he's becoming whereas Saw as we see here has endless justifications for why he does what he does and why he won't be judged for it.

Overall this Rogue One anniversary event from Marvel has been great and especially rewarding as someone who reads most of the books. Between the tie-ins to Rebel Rising in the Jyn Erso issue and getting this bit from Catalyst depicted visually, it's nice to see these elements from the books getting the spotlight.

Was thinking back to all the memes I've made about Dark Horse and their constant delays and figured it's only fair to make one now that Marvel's joined in, lol.

Source: Princess Leia #2

Leia's sadness and regrets surrounding Alderaan are something that I always wished the films had explored more, but thankfully the comics have done an excellent job exploring that side of her. Currently rereading Mark Waid's Leia miniseries and it does one of the best jobs with this IMO.

I was rewatching Maul's cameo scene from Solo and with the added background between him and Dryden from Shadow Lord I think it actually makes that scene much more interesting. I like that he simply chuckles when Qi'ra makes the claim that perhaps she could have saved Dryden from Beckett had she only been there. I read that as him knowing exactly what she's done and being proud of her initiative. Much as he was when Dryden himself made his play against Boss Rintero except Qi'ra made hers all on her own.

Here's hoping future Shadow Lord seasons will catch up to the timeline of Solo and finally show us what happened between those two. We know where Qi'ra ends up thanks to the Crimson Dawn saga of comics but we really know little to nothing about what happened with her and Maul. Clearly she received some training to be able to fight Vader later in the timeline and live. I wonder if Devon will be out of the picture at that point or if she is and maybe she and Qi'ra trained together under Maul.

For context, this is from a preview for the upcoming sequel era novel, Eyes Like Stars, so this is roughly 30-35 years after the events of Andor. Maybe this implies that the New Republic worked to stabilize the planet following the Empire's exploitation of all that deep substrate foliated kalkite. Mon Mothma would certainly have a lot of investment in doing so considering that was her final straw in leaving the Imperial Senate and publicly joining the Rebellion. Hopefully some of our Ghorman characters from Andor made it through everything ok. As much as possible anyways.

This thought just struck me for whatever reason: the Rebels series finale brings back so many characters that the Ghost crew have helped and been helped by over the seasons for the liberation of Lothal. The Wookies from the series premiere being the only exceptions. Kind of a missed opportunity IMO. Would've brought the show full circle in a sense and followed up on the Wookie's promise to be there if the rebels ever needed them. Maybe there were just already too many characters to deal with to include them.

Been rereading the Kanan comic and it's still great! I especially love how it deepens the tragedy of Kanan and the clones. One of his oldest friends, Commander Grey, finally realized what really happened and gave everything so that Kanan might live. And Kanan was none the wiser. If only he did understand maybe he could've come around to Rex faster.

Unfortunate that The Bad Batch messed with the continuity of this comic by overriding the Order 66 scene but I choose to take everything else from the comic, especially this, as still being canon. It just adds so much depth and tragedy to Kanan's story.

We're of course told in the show that Brander and Rheena had history as bounty hunters but now the comic has shown us a bit of that past between them. Here's hoping we get more of them in the future as I very strongly doubt that either actually died in their final season 1 scenes.

I've just finished rereading Doctor Aphra 2016. Absolutely loved it, still one of the best Star Wars comics for me for sure. Aphra's conversation with Vader at the end is just so good. A perfect culmination of all their interactions from Darth Vader 2015 up until that point. Aphra may still have a long journey to go on but for once she could put her selfishness and all-consuming fear of Darth Vader aside to do the right thing and actually get one over on him, something not many in the galaxy could truly claim and she calls him out for all that pain and sadness she knows he must carry deep down, something she knows all too well.

Anyways it got me to thinking about Aphra and what her perspective on Vader in the New Republic era would be. In an ironic twist of fate meeting Vader was basically the best thing to ever happen for Aphra as it showed her where her own path could potentially lead if she shuts out all of her connections in the pursuit of power and self-interest. Again, she still has a long journey to go on but Vader in a sense showed her the way. Him and his son as Luke could always see the good in Aphra throughout all their time in the comics together even despite Aphra's best efforts to put him off. Kind of a nice bit of poetry there, Aphra needed to see the evil in Vader and the good in Luke to believe she could be better.

Knowing Vader's final fate I think would be very potentially vindicating for Aphra to know about. To know that even Darth Vader could make the right choice in the end, to grow as he inadvertently helped her to do. That in the end Vader "knew how it felt to do something good" as Aphra said when they parted ways on Tython. And of course Luke would have to be the one to tell her that. Now of course what Anakin did in his final moments is only really known to Luke and a select few he would've told like Leia but I do think there's a good case for him revealing this to Aphra given both of their histories with Vader. I think Luke would know that Vader's sacrifice would be meaningful for Aphra to hear and this would also in a sense complete Luke and Aphra's journey into full trust and friendship with one another, sharing this connection to Anakin. Honestly thinking about this makes me a little more frustrated with Chaos Agent because the series literally opened with Luke and Aphra together and I'm pretty sure Vader is never even name-dropped let alone discussed in any detail but oh well, hopefully the door isn't closed on that conversation just yet. Whenever we do get an Aphra continuation, I really hope Vader is addressed, I just think that'd be such a nice way to cap off this part of Aphra's story that began when Vader first found her and set this whole story into motion.

Starting off the sequel trilogy with The Force Awakens one similarity between Rey and Kylo Ren is made abundantly clear: these are both people that have an unhealthy obsession with the past (though one moreso than the other). In Rey's case she has this fixation with her parents and her idea that someday they have to return to Jakku and save her. It was well within her ability to leave Jakku (either stealing a ship or stowing away on one) but she chose to stay, to possibly waste away her entire life there because she could not accept the idea that her parents either moved on from her or otherwise cannot come back. Even when she's whisked away with Finn and BB-8, she still is deadset on returning to Jakku until Maz Kanata gives her some tough love and even then this obsession with her parents is something that she struggles with throughout the trilogy.

But let's pivot to Kylo now. He too is clearly obsessed with the past but has essentially the exact opposite problem as Rey. Whereas Rey is so focused on uncovering her past, Kylo instead seeks to bury his life as Ben Solo. This is apparent from his very first scene when he kills Lor San Tekka for throwing his legacy in his face. From Ben's POV, his whole life has been dictated by his family, by the past, claimed by both the light and darkness before he was even born. Even his name isn't his own as he angrily tells Snoke in their first meeting. Following years of resentment culminating in Luke's fatal mistake in Ben's hut, he responds by quite literally burning down his old life and claiming the title of Kylo Ren, a name he can truly call his own. (From a certain point of view anyways. One could certainly argue that claiming the Ren title goes against Kylo's whole philosophy but hey what is this guy if not a massive hypocrite?)

Even then, Kylo still cannot escape the shadow of his past. Specifically his status as the legacy of Darth Vader. Even in his new identity, he seeks to follow in Vader's footsteps and even his mentor Snoke keeps comparing him to Vader, as if all he'll ever be is the shadow of his grandfather. Even Kylo succumbs to the comparisons as he practically worships the burnt helmet of Vader, hoping it will guide him to do what must be done so Kylo Ren can fully cement himself into this life. Kylo may have burnt every other bridge in his life but maybe Vader can be the one to show him his path.

It is this unhealthy obsessing over their pasts that really connects Rey and Kylo in The Last Jedi. It's no coincidence that Rey only begins to really open up to Kylo after her experience in the cave where she reached for her parents and was left with only her own reflection. Rey would never condone what Kylo has done but she is beginning to understand how these questions over her own heritage could twist her into something like him. Suddenly she is related to him in this way, and if she can see herself in him and still remain herself then maybe Ben Solo too is not beyond salvation. Rey and Kylo connect in the sense that they feel betrayed by their pasts and thus both are desperate to turn the other to their side, feeling that they are the only ones that can understand each other.

Fast forward a bit, Kylo kills Snoke but instead of taking the opportunity to reinvent himself, he doubles down. Insists that the past must die, that he and Rey must kill it together if they are to evolve. Even Darth Vader is now an emblem of the past that Kylo must burn. (Which is explored in the excellent Legacy of Vader comic which I won't dive into here but please go read it, it's awesome!). He tries to force Rey into his own twisted headspace by telling her how worthless she was to her parents, that this dream she's spent half her life clinging to has been for naught. Rey's past tells her she is nothing but not to Kylo Ren.

Unfortunately Rey is still clinging to that pesky morality of hers and thus both are again left alone. Well Kylo is anyway. Rey has found a new family, is finally forging ahead, while Kylo whose poised to finally do everything he thought he ever wanted is more miserable and alone than ever.

Fast forward again, oh no Palpatine's back! And with him come once again some very interesting conflicts for Rey and Kylo regarding their pasts.

In Rey's case a bitter truth: she is the descendant of perhaps the most pure evil the galaxy has ever known. And for Kylo a promise: Palpatine avoids Snoke's fatal mistake and instead tempts Kylo with his sole reason to keep going. To become what Vader could not and establish himself as the new emperor, finally proving to himself and the whole galaxy that he is more than the legacy of the Rebellion's heroes or of Vader.

However in presenting these dilemmas Palpatine ultimately undid himself and unwittingly pushed both Rey and Kylo towards the final revelations they needed to come to. For Rey, yes her heritage is dark but there is light there too. Her parents did love her, to their last breaths, gave everything so that she might have a chance. Kylo Ren has been wallowing in agony and rage over his past and his own choices for years and in his desperate quest to prove himself that Palpatine has been pushing Ben towards ever since he was a boy, he finally breaks. Allows Rey and the memories of his parents to heal him. To reclaim the name of Ben Solo, to finally accept that he can be the legacy of great heroes while still being his own person. Kylo came to the precipice of this realization several times over his tortured life but only now can Ben finally reach acceptance. With both Rey and Kylo having finally overcome their mutual struggles with their pasts they are both finally ready to face the Emperor and in doing so put their unhealthy obsessions to bed.

Just as Rey and Kylo began with opposite problems they must come to opposite solutions. Rey must set aside the importance of her heritage and forge a new path for herself culminating in her acceptance of the Skywalker name. Kylo Ren by contrast must accept his past. He must accept the generations that came before, must accept his own choices no matter how painful, must accept Ben Solo. Rey and Ben in essence both become comfortable with the past and their places in it even if they both had very different journeys to get there.

The key lesson in my opinion being this: don't make the mistakes that both Rey and Kylo did. The past is something to learn from to inform who you are today. There is no use in either stagnating because of the past or seeking to undo your own history because you are resentful or shameful of it. Your past is not inherently good or bad, but what you do with it can be.

May the Force be with you and thanks to any and all who read yet another of my extended yap sessions, I really appreciate it!